This week, you can go to a web site domain address service and purchase the rights to a URL with the .xxx name. The domain has obvious links to the adult entertainment industry. However, as the Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gaQg89ugSNzHPuI5ZbHPacAQQkYA , there are a lot of schools and businesses who are buying up the rights to those .xxx domains so that they can't be used for any porn sites.

An example of this preemptive move is the one taken by The University of Kansas. It has spent $3,000 purchasing the rights to domain names such as KUgirls.xxx and KUnurses.xxx . The university has no actual plans to use those URLs, it plans to just sit on them so they cannot be purchased by anyone who might use the addresses to create porn sites that might have some kind of link to the school.

The Target retail store chain has also admitted to a similar move to purchase the use of .xxx names that might be linked to the company. A spokesperson said, "Target has applied to block a number of the .xxx domains that correspond with our registered trademarks. We do not plan to use the domains."

The manager of the .xxx domain is ICM Registry. The company says that even if some businesses and schools don't purchase .xxx domain names that might be linked to those organizations, ICM will take steps to ensure that the trademarks of those groups are protected.